Skin Tones in Magazine Advertising

Mayo, Donna T.; Mayo, Charles M.; Mmc, Sharika Mahdi

doi:10.1300/j057v11n02_05

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…As it relates to advertising, a number of content analyses find that lighter‐skinned Black models are more prevalent in print media than are darker‐skinned models (e.g., Keenan, ; Mayo et al., ). For example, a study of advertisements and editorial photographs in women's and business magazines indicates that the skin tone of Black models in advertising tended to be lighter and their features were more Eurocentric than those of individuals in editorial photographs (Keenan, ).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A meta‐analysis by Mayo et al. () found that darker Black models are often found in sports‐oriented magazines, whereas lighter‐skinned Black models are prevalent in fashion magazines. This suggests that advertisers accept darker skinned models as a representation of physical strength (e.g., sports) but not as a symbol of beauty (e.g., cosmetics).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As it relates to advertising, a number of content analyses find that lighter-skinned Black models are more prevalent in print media than are darker-skinned models (e.g., Keenan, 1996;Mayo et al, 2005).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Empirical evidence of the effect of colorism on customer evaluations

Cowart

Lehnert

2018

Psychology and Marketing

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Skin tone is a known influencer of earnings and social status. Its role in marketing has been primarily studied within the context of advertising while focusing on differences between Whites and Blacks. Three experiments were conducted to determine the effect of skin tone on customer evaluations of Black, Hispanic, and White males and females across two industries. In Studies 1 and 2, the Hispanic male was deemed less competent, professional, and worthy of repatronage compared to other service providers. In Study 3, the Hispanic male received higher evaluations when portrayed with a darker skin tone than lighter skin tone. Skin tone identity, ethnic identity, and colorism are found to influence the observed relationship. The research demonstrates that ethnicity matters, gender matters, and skin tone matters when evaluating service providers.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Empirical evidence of the effect of colorism on customer evaluations

Cowart

Lehnert

2018

Psychology and Marketing

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“…The alleged use of digital manipulation to lighten ethnic models' skin tones (Asim, 2005;Kolawole, 1995;Li, 2008;McDonell-Parry, 2009;Romolini, 2010) have raised ethical concerns about the perpetuation of narrowly defined beauty standards (Cohen-Eliya & Hammer, 2004;Wiles, Wiles, & Tjernlund, 1996) and the limited portrayal of ethnic models (Keenan, 1996;Mayo, Mayo, & Mahdi, 2005). Critics have argued that the practice of skin tone manipulation reflects implicit theories of beauty held by advertising creatives (Kolawole, 1995;Simpson, 1994).…”

Section: Skin Tone Manipulation In Advertisingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical Responses to Public Allegations of Skin Tone Manipulation in Print Advertising: Consumer Indifference or Consumer Concern?

Watson¹,

DeJong²

2011

Journal of Promotion Management

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This study examines the effect of consumer prejudice on ethical responses to public allegations of skin tone manipulation in print advertising. A sample of 156 undergraduate business students read a fictitious news story in which an advertising watchdog group accused business executives of using digital manipulation to lighten the skin tone of a Black female model featured in a product print ad. Participants then answered questions on ethical perceptions, behavioral intentions, and prejudice toward Blacks. Results suggest that low-prejudice consumers have stronger ethical concerns toward the digital lightening of ethnic models in print ads than do high-prejudice consumers. The authors discuss the findings, limitations, and directions for future research.

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“…Studies examining fashion magazines reported a significant lack of racial diversity (Fowler & Carlson, 2015;Mayo, Mayo, & Mahdi, 2005) and a higher number of women than men in stereotypical or passive positions (Stankiewicz & Rosselli, 2008). Sypeck, Gray, and Ahrens (2004) found a decrease in body size from the 1980s to the 1990s in magazines, while Luff and Gray (2009) found an increase in the body size of models from 1956 to 2005.…”

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confidence: 99%

A Critical Lens on Drawing the Body: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Size in Fashion Illustration Textbooks

Reddy-Best

Gagliardi

2016

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Scholars have extensively studied representations of race, gender, body, and size in visual imagery circulating in the fashion system. Studies examining fashion magazines reported a significant lack of racial diversity (Fowler & Carlson, 2015;Mayo, Mayo, & Mahdi, 2005) and a higher number of women than men in stereotypical or passive positions (Stankiewicz & Rosselli, 2008). Sypeck, Gray, and Ahrens (2004) found a decrease in body size from the 1980s to the 1990s in magazines, while Luff and Gray (2009) found an increase in the body size of models from 1956 to 2005. Scholars looking more critically at people of color found more light-skinned than dark-skinned models in Ebony magazine, a publication targeted towards African American women (Keenan, 1996); however, Mayo, Mayo, & Mahdi (2005) analyzed Vogue, and found nearly half of the ads featuring African Americans were dark-skinned women.We argue that textbooks in the textile and apparel discipline are a part of an extension of the fashion system in that the future fashion and beauty producers (i.e. fashion students) utilize theses texts throughout the formative years of their college education. Reddy-Best and Kane (2015) were the first to critically analyze design and merchandising textbooks, and found a majority of White individuals, more women in passive positions than men, and an increase in women's body sizes over time. Our study extends Reddy-Best and Kane's (2015) study and examines representations of gender, race, and the body in fashion illustration textbooks in the 21 st century, as they did not examine these texts in their sample. We asked (a) what body sizes are present?, (b) do the illustrations have diverse racial representation?, (c) and how are bodies positioned?. This study is informed by intersectionality theory, in that we are critically examining multiple subject positions (race, gender, body size) in relation to systems of oppression or discrimination (Shields, 2008). Intersectionality theory informed our research questions, the coding categories, and our analysis of the data.We used the visual content analysis method, and examined 14 books published between 2006 and 2013. In total, we coded 3622 individuals in seven categories: gender (man, woman, or gender neutral), race (Black, White, Asian, other person of color, or indistinguishable) skin color (1-10), hair texture of Black people (straight, natural, dreadlocks, braids, or bald), body size (1-9), body position (open, closed off, active, mixed, or neutral), eye gaze (at self, at another model, at reader, at unknown, at activity, or none), and provocative (yes or no). We coded skin tone using the NIS Skin Color Scale where 1 was the lightest and 10 was the darkest. Body size was determined using a visual body scale from 1-9, where 1 was the smallest and 9 was the largest, and eye gaze was coded using an adaption of Goffman's (1979) scale. We created a codebook and continually refined each code as the coding process unfolded. An intercoder reliability of 92% was reached after we coded 20%-...

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Skin Tones in Magazine Advertising

Cited by 17 publications

References 19 publications

Empirical evidence of the effect of colorism on customer evaluations

Empirical evidence of the effect of colorism on customer evaluations

Ethical Responses to Public Allegations of Skin Tone Manipulation in Print Advertising: Consumer Indifference or Consumer Concern?

A Critical Lens on Drawing the Body: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Size in Fashion Illustration Textbooks

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